Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Series: TOS Original Airdate: 1982-06-04 Production Number: 002 Year: 2285 Stardate: 8130.3 Story by: Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards Screenplay by: Jack B. Sowards Produced by: Harve Bennett Directed by: Nicholas Meyer "At the end of the universe lies the beginning of vengeance." Khan escapes from Ceti Alpha V, hijacks the starship Reliant, and plans vengeance on Admiral Kirk. Summary It is the 23rd century and a female Vulcan Starfleet officer is in command of the starship Enterprise. While the senior crew work at their posts on the bridge, the Vulcan officer, Saavik, makes a log entry. :"Captain's log, stardate 8130.3. Starship ''Enterprise on training mission to Gamma Hydra. Section 14, coordinates 22-87-4. Approaching Neutral Zone, all systems normal and functioning."'' When Lieutenant Commander Sulu reports that the ship is entering Section 15, Saavik orders him to project a parabolic course in order to avoid the Neutral Zone. At her station, Uhura recieves a distress call from the Kobayashi Maru, a fuel carrier which has struck a gravitic mine in close proximity to Altair VI. When the signal begins to break up, the captain of the damaged vessel reveals that his ship is in Klingon territory. However, Saavik orders Sulu to set an intercept course, even with the helm officer's reluctance to enter the Neutral Zone. When Spock informs her that Enterprise is in violation of treaty, she contacts the transporter room and asks for preparations to be made for casualties. Uhura loses the distress signal and the computer reports the arrival of three Klingon cruisers. Saavik orders the crew to man the battle stations and to raise the shields. Although Uhura attempts to notify the Klingon vessels that Enterprise is on a rescue mission, the crew on the ships are jamming all the communication channels. When the enemy ships fire photon torpedoes, Enterprise takes heavy damage and the crew, including Spock, apparently die. Eventually, Saavik orders the launch of Enterprise's log buoy and escape pods, which will carry the surviving crew away from the starship. From an unseen source, the filtered voice of Admiral Kirk is heard. The side walls of the "bridge" slide apart, revealing a lighted room beyond. When Kirk strides through the opening, Saavik asks him for advice. The admiral replies that prayer would be the best course of action, as Klingons don't take prisoners. Standing up, Spock orders the trainees to the briefing room and leaves with the cadets. Saavik argues that the Kobayashi Maru simulation was not a fair test of her command abilities. However, Kirk replies that a no-win situation is one which every captain may face and that the way in which someone deals with death is equally as important as how they face life. These thoughts didn't occur to Saavik, who says she will now spend time to think about them. When Dr.McCoy suggests that an experienced crew may serve more efficiently on the Enterprise, Kirk retorts that "galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young". Offended by the admiral's comment, Uhura indicates her confusion. Outside the bridge simulator, Spock is waiting for Kirk's approval of the trainee cadets. When the admiral comments that the cadets detroyed the simulator room, Spock reminds him that, after taking the test three times, Kirk's final solution was unique. The admiral thanks Spock for an antique written copy of "A Tale of Two Cities", which the Vulcan had given to Kirk as a birthday gift. They hear a voice report that a shuttle which is waiting for Spock will leave for Enterprise in 15 minutes. Kirk says he is returning home and enters a turbolift. In Kirk's quarters on Earth, Dr. McCoy arrives and presents a bottle of Romulan ale to the admiral as a birthday gift. When Kirk comments that the drink is illegal in Federation space, McCoy replies that he only uses it for medicinal purposes. With difficulty, the captain reads a label on the bottle and realizes the drink is from 2283, several years ago. McCoy explains that Romulan ale takes a long time to ferment and, taking the bottle from Kirk, pours the drink into two beer mugs. Meanwhile, Kirk opens another of Dr. McCoy's gifts - a pair of antique gold half-glasses. Kirk has an allergy to Retlax Five - the treatment McCoy would normally prescribe for the captain's eye condition - so McCoy gave him a pair of spectacles, instead. Together, they drink from the beer mugs, Kirk discovering that Romulan ale is a potent beverage. Lost for words, the captain wonders what he should say. When McCoy suggests "thank you", Kirk repeats the phrase. As they continue to drink the ale, McCoy attempts to persuade Kirk to get back into a command position aboard a starship. Meanwhile, Commander Chekov is on board the USS Reliant. As the vessel heads towards a planet in the Ceti Alpha star system, the commander makes a log entry. :"Starship log, stardate 8130.4. Log entry by First Officer Pavel Chekov. Starship ''Reliant on orbital approach to Ceti Alpha VI, in connection with Project Genesis. We are continuing our search for a lifeless planet, to satisfy the requirements of a test site for the Genesis experiment. So far, no success."'' Captain Clark Terrell orders the helm officer to maneuver the Reliant into a standard orbit of the planet and Mister Beach reports on the results of the surface scan. Ceti Alpha VI has a limited atmosphere, dominated by craylon gas, sand and high velocity winds - in short, it is incapable of supporting lifeforms. Chekov fears that the planet may not pass the requirements for the Genesis experiment. He explains that the Reliant has detected a minor energy flux reading on one dyno scanner, which could indicate the presence of life. When Terrell suggests that the scanner may be out of adjustment, Chekov interrupts him, theorizing that the energy flux could simply be a particle of preanimate matter. Background Information Several items were cut from the original script draft, including the revelation that Saavik was of joint Vulcan and Romulan lineage (something picked up by the Pocket TOS series of novels, including "The Pandora Principle"), and a relationship between Saavik and David Marcus. Both remained in the novelisation. Cadet Peter Preston's relation as nephew to Scotty was removed from the theatrical release, but was included in a televised version broadcast by ABC. The scene was restored in the Special Edition DVD release. Leonard Nimoy had intended Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan to be his final appearance as Spock, however, Harve Bennett suggested the "Remember" sequence as a possible get-out clause, should Nimoy decide to return to the role. Links and References Cast * William Shatner as James T. Kirk * Leonard Nimoy as Spock * DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy * James Doohan as Scotty * Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov * George Takei as Hikaru Sulu * Nichelle Nichols as Uhura * Bibi Besch as Carol Marcus * Merritt Butrick as David Marcus * Paul Winfield as Captain Terrell * Kirstie Alley as Saavik * Ricardo Montalban as Khan Noonien Singh * Judson Scott as Joachim * Ike Eisenmann as Peter Preston * John Vargas as Jedda * John Winston as Kyle * Paul Kent as Beach * Nicholas Guest as Cadet * Russell Takaki as Madison * Kevin Sullivan as March * Joel Marstan as Crew Chief * Teresa E. Victor as Bridge Voice * Dianne Harper as Radio Voice * David Ruprecht as Radio Voice * Marcy Vosburgh as Computer Voice References Regula, Ceti Alpha VI, General Order 12 Previous Movie: Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek Movies Next Movie: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Wrath of Khan, The de:Star_Trek_II:_Der_Zorn_des_Khan